Claremore Daily Progress

Breaking News

Sports

November 15, 2012

OU offensive line has rolled with the punches

JOHN SHINN CNHI News Services

NORMAN — While Blake Bell was sprinting 55 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown last Saturday, Oklahoma was a having a hard time celebrating the game-winning touchdown against Baylor.



Guard Adam Shead was struggling to get to his feet. Another offensive lineman was down. Shead was OK. He’s expected to play when the 13th-ranked Sooners face West Virginia on Saturday.



However, it’s been that kind of season for the offensive line, and it’s not going to get any easier.



“At this point in time, you know what the deal is. It’s a physical position the guys play. They’re going to get banged up and none of them feel 100 percent,” centers and guards coach James Patton said. “I bet there isn’t a lineman in the country right now that feels 100 percent. There’s things they can’t control. Guys rolling on their legs, they have to move their feet faster and that’ll take care of some things. Some of the things they can control. They’re hitting people on every play. There’s confrontations. There’s physical confrontations. At this point in time they’ve got to be tough guys.”



Hard to argue that the Sooners haven’t lived up to that label. The group has been taking a pounding all season, but keeps answering the bell every Saturday.



Last Saturday’s victory over Baylor was another example. Center Gabe Ikard was out with a concussion. True freshman Ty Darlington stepped in and they pushed and shoved their way to 460 total yards.



Then they ambled their way back to the locker room to get treatment so they could do it all again next week. Handling the aches and the pains is something that either becomes second nature or you go find something else to do.



Left tackle Lane Johnson was a quarterback in high school, but grew into a 6-7, 300-pound offensive lineman. He quickly learned linemen in general take a beating few can comprehend.



“It’s not like playing quarterback anymore,” left tackle Lane Johnson said with a laugh. “It’s a tough game and you have to be tough enough to make it through the season. That’s what we’re trying to do.”



The Sooners have only three games left before that much-needed break between the end of the regular season and the bowl game. Those three weeks finally provide enough time to let the body heal from the intensity of the season.



OU coach Bob Stoops admits practices in November are shorter and less physical than they were in September. Preserving offensive linemen is one of the main reasons.



“Those guys — there’s 300 pounds of impact on ankles, knees and helmets and shoulders on every snap. A DB or a linebacker may have 10 tackles in a game, but those guys are gonna run into somebody on every single snap,” he said. “It’s a lot of hitting.”



The Sooners are still in the hunt for a BCS bowl this season. One of the reasons is their offensive line has been able to absorb the pounding.



After Tuesday’s practice, guard Bronson Irwin started peeling off tape while talking to reporters. After five minutes, he barely finished with his left hand. He hadn’t even gotten to the right ankle, which was wrapped so heavily that his shoe was barely visible.



But he still made it out there for a full practice.



“Up front, you have to keep everybody in there and keep the chemistry going,” guard Bronson Irwin said. “Every offensive line around the country is fighting through injuries. If it’s not overly severe, you have to fight it and stay out there.”

 

Text Only
Sports
  • DSC_9471web.jpg Howe, Whatley shine at OU Showcase

    Claremore High School seniors Bryce Howe and Matt Whatley caught the eyes of several NCAA Division I and JUCO scouts Friday in Norman.
    Howe and Whatley, as well as Claremore’s Cole Weiesnbach and Cameron Smith, competed with the Bearcats — a competitive baseball team coached by Jenks’ Jeff Owens — at the University of Oklahoma Showcase.

    June 15, 2013 2 Photos

  • DSC_0119web.jpg ‘Staying close to home’

    Home is where the heart is.
    Claremore graduate Isaac Hollihan loves playing baseball and takes his academics pretty serious.
    For the next four years, Hollihan will continue his baseball career a short distance from his Claremore residence at Rogers State University.

    June 13, 2013 2 Photos

  • TRACK: Tyson Gay healthy heading into nationals

    For a little bit, Tyson Gay's first step tearing down the track made him wince and his next made him wonder: Would he ever be the same sprinter again?
    The runner who captured three gold medals at the 2007 world championships. The runner who broke the American 100-meter record in 2009.

    June 18, 2013

  • Texas Longhorns men's track coach retires

    Texas men's track coach Bubba Thornton is retiring after 18 years and 12 conference championships.
    According to a statement from the school on Monday, Thornton and athletic director DeLoss Dodds mutually agreed to terminate the coach's contract effective Aug. 31. The Longhorns won this year's Big 12 indoor and outdoor championships and finished sixth at the NCAA outdoor championships.

    June 18, 2013

  • Daytona frontstretch getting $400M facelift

    Daytona International Speedway is getting another facelift, this one considerably bigger than the last.
    Three years after a complete repaving project, the famed track is overhauling the frontstretch to enhance the "fan experience.''

    June 18, 2013

  • STANLEY CUP NOTEBOOK: Rough ice affects play in Game 3

    Teams try to avoid risky plays in the postseason that they might try in the regular season. And when the ice surface isn't smooth, even greater care is necessary.
    Boston took that approach with less-than-ideal ice conditions during its 2-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks that gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night.

    June 18, 2013

  • STANLEY CUP: Rask shuts down Blackhawks, Bruins take 2-1 lead

    The puck bounced off the post and rolled across the crease, away from the goal line. The red light flashed briefly, but replays would confirm that Tuukka Rask's shutout streak was intact.
    For the last 122 minutes, 26 seconds of the Stanley Cup finals, the Bruins goalie has prevented Chicago from scoring.

    June 18, 2013

  • New $15M scoreboards planned for Jazz arena

    Owners of EnergySolutions Arena are upgrading the home turf of the Utah Jazz with a new $15 million scoreboard system.

    June 18, 2013

  • NBA FINALS: Heat have no room for error versus Spurs in Game 6

    They lost three times in three months in one of the most overpowering stretches the NBA has ever seen.
    Now the Miami Heat have lost three times in five games.
    So superb during the regular season, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Heat have to be something even more for the rest of the NBA Finals.

    June 18, 2013

  • NBA FINALS: Spurs' coach puts 'Pop' into news conferences

    During his team's Game 3 rout of the Heat, Gregg Popovich was shown on TV talking to his players while they were in the process of burying Miami with a stirring offensive display.

    June 18, 2013